70 Most Interesting Facts about Kazakhstan

Are you ready to go on an adventure to a country that’s big, beautiful, and full of surprises? Let’s pack our imaginary bags and travel to Kazakhstan, a country in Central Asia. This country is really, really big. In fact, Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world! So, let’s start our journey and discover some amazing facts about Kazakhstan.

blue background with white text "facts about Kazakhstan" and a Kazakhstan flag graphic

First thing first: Kazakhstan is huge! It’s so big that it stretches from the mountains and forests in the east all the way to the Caspian Sea in the west. It has all kinds of different landscapes, like deserts, mountains, and even flat grasslands called steppes. You could see snow leopards in the mountains and flamingos by the sea, all in one country!

Did you know that Kazakhstan is a mix of old and new? In big cities like Nur-Sultan and Almaty, you’ll find tall, shiny buildings and busy streets. But if you travel outside the cities, you might meet people using horses for transportation, just like in old times.

Kazakhstan is also a place of space adventures! The Baikonur Cosmodrome, one of the world’s first and largest space launch facilities, is in Kazakhstan. This is where the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, blasted off to the stars. How cool is that?

Ready to learn more facts about Kazakhstan? From its vast landscapes to its space missions, there’s so much to explore in Kazakhstan. Let’s continue our adventure and discover all the cool things that make Kazakhstan a special place to learn about!

Be sure to discover even more interesting facts with our Facts about Athens and our Facts about El Salvador.

Facts about Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is the world’s largest landlocked country.
The Caspian Sea is the world’s largest inland body of water.
Half of Lake Balkhash, one of the largest lakes in the world, consists of fresh water, the other half of the lake is salt water.
The Aral Sea is located between Kazakhstan & Uzbekistan. It was once the fourth largest lake in the world.
The border between Russia and Kazakhstan is the longest continuous land border in the world (7512.8 kilometers).
The King Arthur legend may have its roots in Kazakh history.
Horse riding is significant in Kazakh culture which also includes the traditional sport of kyz kuu, which translates as “girl chasing”.
Berkutchi is still practiced here.
Kazakhstan is extremely ethnically diverse.
Kazakhstan occupies an area of 2,724,900 square km in Central Asia.
Excessive sleeping killed people living in a village in Kazakhstan.
Snow leopards live in the mountains in eastern Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan is one of the few transcontinental countries in the world.
The first artificial satellite (Sputnik 1) and the first man (Yuri Gagarin) were sent into space from Baikonur Cosmodrome located in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan celebrates three New Years.
Kymyz (fermented mare’s milk) is a popular mildly alcoholic drink in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan is home to about 120 ethnic groups and nationalities.
Nauryz is one of the top holidays in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan means Land of Wanderers.
People like to dance during dinner.
Kazakhstan does serve and sell alcohol, as well as pork; however, since the majority religion is Islam, not everyone partakes.
Kazakhstan connected the Earth to outer space.
The capital has recently changed names.
One of the most famous sites to visit in Kazakhstan is the Medeo Sports Center. This is actually the world’s highest skating rink for kids and adults.
Many different species of lizards are found in Kazakhstan’s deserts, including the gray monitor lizard, the world’s largest lizard, which is found only in the Kyzlkum Desert.
Kazakhstan has a significant history with the Soviet Union because of its status as a former Soviet republic.
The world’s biggest and oldest space launch facility is in Kazakhstan.
Kymyz (fermented mare’s milk) is a popular mildly alcoholic drink in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan is rich in oil and gas.
The name Kazakh translates to wanderer or independent.
Kazakhstan is the world leader in uranium mining.
The Kazakhs were not in the majority at the time of their independence in 1991.
The flag of Kazakhstan has a light blue background which represents the “Blue Horde” Turkic-Mongol people who used to fly the “Blue Banner” as well as the great skies under which the nomadic people have lived.
Horses were first domesticated on the territory of the present Kazakhstan.
Independent from the Soviet Union since 1991, Kazakhstan has had just one president, Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Kazakhstan has the second largest uranium reserves in the world.
Shubat (fermented camel’s milk) is also available to buy.
The United States was the first nation to recognize Kazakhstan as a sovereign state, shortly after it declared independence in December 1991.
Beshbarmak is the country’s national dish.
Kazakhstan is the world’s leading producer of uranium, the heavy metal used widely in nuclear energy production.
Kazakhstan is rich in mineral resources.
There are wild apple trees in Kazakhstan.
Berkutchi, or hunting with eagles, is an ancient sport still practiced in Kazakhstan.
During the Second World War, every third bullet for the weapons of the Red Army was cast from metal mined in Kazakhstan.
The chimney of Ekibastuz GRES-2 is the highest in the world (420 meters).
Stan is an ancient Persian word meaning “land” or “nation,” and Kazakh means “wanderer,” “adventurer,” or “outlaw.”
The most popular dish in Kazakhstan is “Beshbarmak”.
Horse meat is always on the menu in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan also has vast oil reserves and is the world’s ninth-largest crude oil exporter.
Kazakhstan Time zone: UTC+05:00.
Kazakhstan is not the real home of Borat. Firstly, he was banned after his catchphrase was used to promote tourism in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan’s traditional drink kumis has also been referred to as “milk champagne.”
27,000 monuments are present in the nation.
Russian word for money (“dengi”) comes from the Turkic word “tenge” – the name of the current currency of Kazakhstan.
Kazakhs often serve different cuts of meat to guests as symbolism: the tongue is served to someone who should be more eloquent, and children get the ears to help them listen better.
The USSR conducted 456 nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Polygon in Kazakhstan from 1949 to 1989.
The capital has recently changed names.
Kazakhstan’s national drink is Horse Milk.
Some Kazakhs still hold onto their traditional nomadic beliefs.
The Kazakh word for “dog” is pronounced “eat”.
Following independence, Kazakhstan was ruled by the same president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, for nearly 30 years.
Kazakhstan is extremely ethnically diverse.
Half of Lake Balkhash, one of the largest lakes in the world, consists of fresh water, the other half of the lake is salt water.
The King Arthur legend may have its roots in Kazakh history.
Berkutchi is still practiced here.
It has five UNESCO sites.
In 2015, a mysterious disease killed 200,000 critically endangered saiga antelope in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan occupies an area of 2,724,900 square km in Central Asia.
Excessive sleeping killed people living in a village in Kazakhstan.
Snow leopards live in the mountains in eastern Kazakhstan.